Money juggling, new anti-business ordinances, exercises in futility
dominate the agenda
By Will Collette
The Town Council is continuing their new practice, modeled on Progressive
Charlestown’s “real agenda previews," of publishing agendas that actually reflect
the order of business. That lifted the burden off of me to have to re-work
their monthly agendas so Progressive Charlestown readers could make some sense
out of the meetings.
This month’s agenda looks to be pretty light. That’s mainly because the
month’s major business will be conducted at a special meeting on August 22 at
the Charlestown Elementary School. That’s when the public will get a chance to
comment on the proposed $2.114 million deal to buy the site of the proposed
Whalerock wind turbines for open space.
Here’s the run-down of what’s coming up on Tuesday at 7:00 at Town Hall:
1. CALL TO ORDER, Moment of
Silence, Pledge of Allegiance
2. ROLL CALL
Motion to move items 15b, 15e, 12, 18a, 18d, 10a, 7a, 9a and 7b to
be heard next on the agenda
15. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND
PROCLAMATIONS
b. Commendation for Rob Krause
e. Commendation for St. Andrew’s Work
Camp
12. CONSENT AGENDA
All items marked with “CA” are to be considered consent agenda.
NOTE: these are
generally non-controversial items that are voted on as a bloc without
discussion or debate. Councilor Lisa DiBello and sometimes Council Boss Tom
Gentz like to pull items off the consent agenda usually because they have some
reason to want to grandstand on the subject. The big fight that jeopardized the Rhythm and Roots
Festival was an example where the CCA Council majority
wanted to pander to its supporters in the Arnolda neighborhood by pulling a
simple request off the Consent Agenda, setting up a debate over the merits of
holding human activities at the park. That fight took most of April to resolve.
Motion to accept approve and place on file the following as the
consent agenda: 11a, 13a, 13b, 18b, 18c, 18e
11. LICENSES AND PERMITS
“CA”
a. Approval of the following events at Ninigret Park with a recommendation
from the Parks and Recreation Commission, subject to review of contracts by the
Town Solicitor, receipt of all applicable paperwork and insurance and that all
event details are satisfactorily met by the Parks and Recreation Director:
1. Bicycle
Race, Tour De Cure for ADA, American Diabetes Association
Park Reservation: June 1, 2014
Camping: none
Insurance: $5 million
Fee: Waived
2. BSA
Campout Troop 15 of Charlestown Park Reservation: Friday, Sept 13, 2013 at 4:00
p.m. through Sunday, Sept 15, 2013 at 11:00 a.m.
Camping: Yes, approx. 50 Boy Scouts in Lil Nini re
gion
of Ninigret Park
Insurance: $1 million general liability, provided by BSA Boys
Scouts of America
Fee: Waived
13. MINUTES AND REPORTS
“CA”
a. Town Council Minutes:
“CA”
b. Reports:
Building Official – July 2013; Police Chief – July 2013 NOTE: police calls are way up, at the highest so
far in 2013, but that’s normal at this time of year when we get the big
influx of summer visitors; Public Works – July 2013 ; Town Clerk – July 2013 NOTE: deaths continue to outpace births by almost
2 to 1 with 21 births versus 39 deaths so far this year; Treasurer – July 2013; Wastewater Management – July 2013 NOTE: always amazes me how many old cesspools are
still around in Charlestown, despite the law.
18. FISCAL MATTERS
“CA”
b. Award of the bid for the Ninigret Park Master Plan Update to Weston
& Sampson for an amount not to exceed $10,900 as budgeted through line item
59.000.5100.
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| Click here to read the town's Ninigret Park Master Plan |
NOTE: this line item grew
out of last year’s Battle for Ninigret Park where Councilors Gentz and Slattery
tried to turn over control of the park to the National Fish and Wildlife
Service and a hand-picked committee controlled by their allies. After getting
beaten down, they made a peace offering to the Parks and Recreation Committee of funding to hire a consultant to revamp the Park’s Master Plan.
However, it doesn’t matter what comes out of this – the CCA Party has already signaled its intent to reject any plan that doesn’t sharply curb human activity
in Ninigret Park.
“CA”
c. Award of the bid for the Web based GIS
Mapping project to New England Geosystems for an amount not to exceed
$8,000 as budgeted from line item 84.000.5100, with an annual cost for an
amount not to exceed $3,500 as budgeted from line item 01.455.6055, with
authorization for the Town Administrator to execute the contract
“CA”
e. Request from the Tax Assessor for abatements in the amount of
$3595.10
NOTE: one of the
abatements is for CCA Party Councilor Deputy Dan Slattery for $1.87. Kinda
gives new meaning to the concept of being a retiree on a fixed income. Does this mean he will have to recuse himself on the vote for the Consent Agenda?
18. FISCAL MATTERS
a. Discussion
and potential action regarding the rescinding of the following bond issues:
Buckeye Brook Road Phase I in an amount not to exceed $594,000
approved on 6/13/05; Buckeye Brook Road Phase II in an amount not to exceed
$788,800 approved on 6/4/2007; and Old Coach Road in an amount not to exceed
$500,000 approved on 6/4/2007
NOTE:
these are three road projects where voters OK’d borrowing the money but the CCA
majority Town Council decided to instead pay cash out of the town surplus. They said this would “save taxpayers money" in long-term
interest charges, which is technically true.
However, they instead raised
annual taxes – for the sixth year in a row. Every year they say they are saving
taxpayers money by doing this and every year they raise taxes so they can
afford to pay cash for capital projects.
My question is when will Charlestown taxpayers ever see the savings? I think the answer is next year, maybe, if they feel like they’re in trouble with the voters in an election year.
My question is when will Charlestown taxpayers ever see the savings? I think the answer is next year, maybe, if they feel like they’re in trouble with the voters in an election year.
d. Discussion
and potential action regarding a FY 2013 budget transfer in the amount of
$48,700.00 for Stormwater Discharge Elimination from the Capital
Improvement budget (01.995.9927) to the Transfers Out budget (01.990.9957)
10. COUNCIL SITTING AS BEVERAGE LICENSING
BOARD
a. Discussion
and potential action regarding an application received from the
Charlestown Rathskeller Tavern, Inc. for a Class F Liquor License, fee to be
waived, for a fundraising event to be held at 489A Old Coach Road, Charlestown
RI 02813, on August 17, 2013 - alcohol to be served from 3:00 p.m. –
10:00 p.m. Designated premises: The patio adjacent to the tavern entrance on
the east side, including the small deck, bocce court and horseshoe court areas;
from the southeast corner of the restaurant, to include the spring house, the
sauna area and fire pit; the grounds located southwest of the main entrance
(west side) to approximately two hundred (200’) feet south of the employee
parking lot; the open porch and deck on the west side of the restaurant; and
from the north side of the restaurant up to the stone wall located
approximately ten (10) feet from Old Coach Road.
NOTE: this a special deal for a Charlestown Land
Trust fund-raising event. Since many of the Land Trust leadership are leaders
and major donors of the CCA Party, the Council majority should be just fine
with this kind of deal. If it was somebody else, maybe not so much.
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Discussion
and potential action
regarding ChurchWoods and Shannock Cottages financing and the
RI Housing update with an advisory opinion from the Affordable
Housing Commission
NOTE:
this is becoming a regular agenda item because it gives Boss Gentz a chance to
spout off about the state and its unfriendly policies toward Charlestown. While
it’s true that Charlestown is being poorly treated, I believe it’s pay-back for
Charlestown’s bad attitude about affordable housing in general – that’s my
theory anyway.
9. PUBLIC HEARINGS
a. Public
hearing and potential action regarding the Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) Disaster Relief (Hurricane Sandy) Program application
NOTE: This is part of the long and winding road Charlestown has been on to try to win a share of
federal disaster relief funding spurred by Hurricane Sandy. We are hoping to
get $300K+ to recoup costs and prepare for future storms.
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
b. Discussion
and potential action regarding a resolution requesting that
the Rhode Island Attorney General look into the actions/inactions of the Town
of Westerly, Copar Quarries and the Westerly Granite Company
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| Why won't Charlestown give the Copar opponents the same support it's giving the Whalerock opposition? |
NOTE: Boss Gentz wants the Council to send a
letter to Attorney General Peter Kilmartin complaining about how Westerly has
failed to control the Copar Quarry. It’s a cheap and cynical stunt because:
(a) Gentz and the Council
have failed to keep their promises to Copar’s neighbors to carry out
substantive actions;
(b) Gentz and the Council
have already tried their hand at empty, symbolic gestures by crafting a
resolution last fall which they posted on the town website and promptly ignored
– plus they already sent copies of this resolution to just about every state official;
(c) Town Administrator
Mark Stankiewicz made it clear that Charlestown is afraid to take any real
action against Copar’s Charlestown site even though they operated illegally for
three months and are likely to pull the same crap there that they have been
doing in Bradford and
(d) Gentz and the Council
are frankly more interested in helping their campaign contributors and
supporters fight Whalerock than they are to help the working class folks living
near Copar’s sites.
3. PUBLIC COMMENT for items not on
the Agenda
4. COUNCIL COMMENTS
5. PERSONS WISHING TO BE HEARD
– None
6. ADMINISTRATOR, SOLICITOR,
COMMISSION REPORTS
a. Town
Administrator
b. Town
Solicitor
c. Commission
Reports
8. NEW BUSINESS – None
14. ANNOUNCEMENTS
a. Board
and Commission vacancies
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| All power to Ruth Platner |
15. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND
PROCLAMATIONS
a. Introduction
and first reading of Ordinance #358 amending Chapter 117, Flood
Damage Protection, to be advertised for public hearing on September 9, 2013
NOTE: this is a complete re-write of the town
ordinance on construction in areas prone to flooding that are supposed to
reflect the serious storms and flooding we’ve had in town the past three years.
c. Introduction
and first reading of Ordinance #359 amending Chapter 218-74
Zoning, Landscaping, to be advertised for public hearing on September 9, 2013
NOTE: Planning Commissar Ruth Platner and her
merry Commissionaires have been working on this shrubbery ordinance for several
years. It is part of Platner’s overall approach to the town, concentrating
control over minute details of town life in her hands and giving CCA Party
regulars new tools to drive local businesses crazy, and in the process, out of
Charlestown.
 |
| Bring us some nice shrubbery! |
d. Introduction
and first reading of Ordinance #360 amending Chapters
218–56 through 218-61 - Zoning, Parking to be advertised for public
hearing on September 9, 2013
NOTE:
ditto on this one. No detail is too small to regulate.
The cumulative effect is to put a financial damper on any
improvements to commercial property because the upgrades required by all these
new ordinances are triggered by any improvement.
In this case parking bumpers will have to be added, greatly increasing the difficulty of plowing snow. (Of course, I doubt we will see them at Town Hall!) Also all kinds of islands, landscaping and trees. Obviously those will look nice but they are more costs in a town where business is very seasonal.
In this case parking bumpers will have to be added, greatly increasing the difficulty of plowing snow. (Of course, I doubt we will see them at Town Hall!) Also all kinds of islands, landscaping and trees. Obviously those will look nice but they are more costs in a town where business is very seasonal.
 |
| Parking bumpers - Charlestown's next growth industry. Come winter, it'll be snowplow repair |
The potential consequence is that business owners may decide it’s
not worth making ANY upgrades rather than be compelled to make ALL the
improvements mandated under these ordinances. But all that is consistent with the CCA Party’s
anti-business philosophy.
And, at the risk of
repeating myself, these ordinances are examples of how this Town Council
majority has no trouble coming up with ways to bedevil town businesses, if not
drive them out of business – except when it comes to the Copar Quarry, where
the best they can do is come up with empty gestures.
16. COMMUNICATIONS AND PETITIONS – None
17. APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS – None
19. LEGAL MATTERS – None
20. ADJOURNMENT